Chapter 665: Low Pay and High Pay

Yang Shi-yi had originally only expected to meet Lu Yan He, but he hadn't expected that Li Zhibai and Yu Mengling would also be in the room, along with someone he didn't recognize.

He entered, feeling a bit surprised and somewhat reserved, and sat down.

Lu Yan He came back to his senses and said with a smile, "Let me introduce you. This is Yang Shi-yi. The role of the Third Young Master in the play I took you to see today was played by him. I saw a performance of his the day before yesterday, and it had a completely different texture from the actor who performed today. It's a pity he wasn't on stage today."

Yu Mengling looked at Yang Shi-yi with quite a bit of curiosity and asked Lu Yan He, "Are you good friends?"

"Oh, no, this is actually the first time I've met him," Lu Yan He said. "I got in touch with him through a friend at Ice Field Video. The drama version of *Rouge* is being developed by Ice Field Video, and they were the ones who discovered him."

Miao Yue looked at Yang Shi-yi and nodded. "Very similar. Too similar."

Lu Yan He said, "I was also very surprised when I watched his performance from the audience the day before yesterday. I didn't expect there to be someone so suitable. I went to see it with Huang Kai that day, and Huang Kai even said that if he had known about him before I started filming the movie, maybe I wouldn't have been the one to play it."

Li Zhibai clicked his tongue. "That's a bit of a pity today then, not getting to see you on stage."

Yang Shi-yi quietly said, "I'm sorry."

"Are you feeling unwell today?" Lu Yan He asked.

Yang Shi-yi: "No, it was the troupe's arrangement."

Miao Yue asked, "Have you never acted in film or television before? I don't have any impression of you, but you are so handsome; if I had seen you, I would definitely have an impression."

Lu Yan He laughed and said, "If Liu Bige were here, he would definitely be jealous."

"How could that be? I often discuss with him which male actors are good-looking."

"You really are dancing in a danger zone frequently," Li Zhibai said seriously.

Miao Yue: "..."

Yang Shi-yi was somewhat confused, not knowing how this had anything to do with Liu Bige again.

Of course, he was too embarrassed to ask.

Lu Yan He asked, "Do you have an agency?"

Yang Shi-yi shook his head and said, "I signed a contract with the theater troupe."

"Are you only allowed to perform in plays within the troupe?" Lu Yan He asked, somewhat surprised.

"Not exactly. It's just like a normal employment contract, but to go out and act, I need the troupe's approval; otherwise, I would have to resign," Yang Shi-yi said bluntly. "However, usually, if there is an opportunity to act outside, the troupe will approve it, especially for actors like us who don't play the leads and have no fame."

Lu Yan He thought for a moment and said, "You actually perform very well in plays, but if you are willing to act in film and television, I can help recommend you to Pick Fire—an agency opened by my agent—to help you with some agency representation for film and television. Are you willing to act in this drama, *Rouge*? I know some stage actors look down on film and television."

"I don't," Yang Shi-yi shook his head and added, "I just don't want to act in bad productions."

"Hmm, Ice Field Video has also contacted you. It's possible they might want to sign you too. If that's the case, you can choose whichever side you like; they won't treat you unfairly either," Lu Yan He said. "If they eventually agree to let you act in this drama."

Yang Shi-yi nodded.

Lu Yan He turned to look at Yu Mengling.

"Sister Ling, what do you think? Would you like to look at the script and try a makeup test?" Lu Yan He said with a smile. "Although I know you have never acted in a television drama and usually only act in plays you like, I truly cannot think of any other actress in the entire entertainment industry right now who could perform a version of Florie that is different from Sister Bige's, yet still believable and likable."

Yu Mengling was still somewhat hesitant. "I just feel that if I go to play a courtesan, I might not perform it well. Sister Bige has set a high standard, and I myself... have never acted in this type of role."

"Sister Ling, do you know why I think you can?" Lu Yan He said. "Because the feeling you give me is that of a woman with a very scholarly, refined temperament. To be honest, it is very rare to find an actress in the entertainment industry with this kind of temperament."

"And Florie, although she is a courtesan, she is a woman who would go to her death for her beloved, just to break free from worldly constraints and be together forever. This kind of idealism, which is almost like a moth to a flame or self-deception—Sister Bige's version was a version of ultimate passion and nature, already performed to the extreme."

"In my imagination, your performance would be a version of an independent woman who leans more towards pursuing a free spirit and refuses to compromise with the world. It might not seem to fit the background of that era, but that's roughly the idea. Compared to the movie version's ultimate passion and sudden awakening, the television version of Florie is about her self-obsession and belief from the beginning, and her search for the Twelfth Young Master later on is also to confirm step-by-step the kind of ultimate purity she pursues. This is also the difference reflected in the script adapted by Miao Yue."

Yu Mengling showed a look of slight surprise.

"This perfectly complements the unique, somewhat detached temperament you have," Lu Yan He said. "This is my imagination and positioning for the drama version."

Yu Mengling hesitated for a moment and asked, "Will the production team film it according to what you just said?"

"How it is finally filmed, my promise is useless. I am only an artistic director. But I think if I, the screenwriter Miao Yue, and you truly star in it, if we can all reach a consensus and then find a like-minded, good director, we should be able to strive in this direction."

Yu Mengling said, "Then please let me see the script first. I want to see the script first, at least let me see how the first three episodes are written."

"No problem," Miao Yue said. "We have already revised the full script several times. You can also read it through. If you have any thoughts or opinions, feel free to communicate with me at any time."

Yu Mengling was astonished.

"Your full script has already been written?"

"Yes," Lu Yan He said with a smile. "She spent a whole year polishing it. This entire year has been devoted to this script."

Yu Mengling said, "This is the first time I have encountered a drama where I can see the complete script directly."

Lu Yan He was somewhat surprised.

Li Zhibai said, "Television dramas nowadays often start looking for actors with only about the first ten episodes of the script. I have received so many scripts, and in fact, only a few had complete scripts when they were looking for me."

Lu Yan He once again felt that his past acting experience was, to some extent, special and different from others.

Because he always collaborated with top directors or was the screenwriter himself, he always received the complete script before joining the crew for any drama he acted in.

At most, it wasn't finalized and needed further revision.

Lu Yan He asked Yu Mengling with some surprise, "Sister Ling, is this the reason why you haven't acted in television dramas?"

"On one hand, this is the reason; on the other hand, there are few television dramas looking for me," Yu Mengling said with a smile and a shake of her head. "I'm not popular."

Yu Mengling is indeed someone in the industry whose status is far higher than her actual fame and commercial value.

And a big reason why she can have such industry status and professional image is not just because she is a Best Actress, but because she has always insisted on only acting in art films and has never acted in a single commercial movie.

Because she is scarce and truly resists fame and fortune, she is respected.

Lu Yan He suddenly thought that if *Rouge* really sought Yu Mengling and Yang Shi-yi to star, Ice Field Video might not necessarily agree.

For the male and female leads, there isn't a single high-heat, popular star.

Should he insist?

Regarding this, Ice Field Video was suddenly very respectful of Lu Yan He's opinion.

"If you truly believe they are both suitable, and that no one is more suitable than them, then we will settle on them."

Being respected like this by Ice Field Video, Lu Yan He didn't know how to describe his mood.

Of course, it wasn't flattered; there was no flattery, only surprise.

Because this didn't quite fit the style of a first-tier video platform.

Even if he was Lu Yan He.

Chen Ziyan said, "You are overthinking it. If you think Yang Shi-yi and Yu Mengling are great, first, *Rouge* is already a big IP, with the movie version and the Korean version ahead; the early attention and heat of this drama don't need to rely on popular stars to carry it. Second, Yang Shi-yi is someone they have their eyes on, and they will sign him—as far as I know, they are already communicating about this matter. So even if this drama doesn't meet expectations in the end, just based on the attention of this drama, starting off as the male lead of a big IP, and starring alongside a Best Actress like Yu Mengling, a quasi-first-tier star will land in their arms."

"Is there a third?"

"Third, they have shown you enough respect to facilitate further cooperation with you in the future," Chen Ziyan said. "Of course, there is one more point: they believe in your vision and believe that the cast you approve can achieve success."

Lu Yan He: "Fine."

"Moreover, the script for the drama version of *Rouge* also has a second male lead and a second female lead, and their screen time is also quite significant. Although Yu Mengling's popularity and heat cannot compare to popular traffic stars, she is a Best Actress with high status and can hold the stage. For the second male and female leads, just use some younger actors who are a bit more popular; Ice Field Video has quite a few."

"Since *Rouge* is aiming to be the 'Drama King,' they definitely want to make this drama a high-quality masterpiece. With the attention already gained beforehand, quality is above all else."

Chen Ziyan said, "I think your choice to go to Yu Mengling to act in this drama is the wisest choice. Only an actress of this level can make this drama truly gain expectations that are distinct from the movie version."

Lu Yan He nodded.

"Sometimes, one has to believe in a woman's intuition. Miao Yue said she wrote the script based on Yu Mengling's image precisely because of her unique, one-of-a-kind temperament. I actually never thought that Yu Mengling was suitable to play Florie."

"I know," Chen Ziyan said. "The interesting thing about the entertainment industry is that it really is like doing an experiment sometimes. You only get the desired result when you find the right raw materials, but before you succeed, you don't know what the right raw materials are."

"Risks are everywhere," Lu Yan He laughed. "However, that's what makes it interesting; otherwise, there would be no freshness. The movie version has already been so successful, and launching the drama version so quickly, there has to be something to make the audience feel fresh."

"Yang Shi-yi will become famous overnight. He has a decent face that is currently lacking in the film industry," Chen Ziyan said. "It's quite strange that this face hasn't been discovered by the film industry before. If it hadn't been discovered by people from Ice Field Video, he might have been buried."

"Not really. It's mainly because our current film and television themes don't actually have that much need for such a decent face, especially for male characters," Lu Yan He said.

Just like Chow Yun-fat and John Lone when they were young, with their looks, if placed in today's entertainment industry, are there any movies suitable for them?

Anyway, at first thought, there isn't any role that particularly needs a face like theirs. Current film and television—especially movies—hardly have any protagonists that need male actors to have a handsome, noble face. The times have changed.

Lu Yan He actually quite likes discussing these changes in the industry with Chen Ziyan.

Many things are truly clearer when listening to multiple perspectives.

He has his own views on this industry, and others have theirs.

A person's perspective is always limited, and only by truly seeing real things can one combine the changes in this industry to determine what kind of works you should do in the next period of time.

Just like not many works are suitable for every release window.

Every work is unique. For example, the current *Home Alone*; without top stars to carry the box office, and being a children's comedy theme, Lu Yan He can't think of any other release window suitable besides the Spring Festival.

Clarifying why Ice Field Video would agree to a lineup like Yu Mengling plus Yang Shi-yi, which seems not to fit the current casting standards, also makes it easier for Lu Yan He to understand Ice Field Video's thinking logic and facilitates the promotion of his subsequent projects.

In order to get Yu Mengling to agree to star in this drama, later on, the senior management at Ice Field Video also visited her three times, constantly lobbying.

Yu Mengling took the opportunity to put forward many of her own ideas about the script and confirmed with Ice Field Video how the drama would be filmed in the end and what it would look like.

At this stage, Lu Yan He withdrew.

At this time, news also came from Darren Wilson that the filming agreement for *Buried* with Parameter had been reached.

Parameter agreed to the plan of having Li Zhibai star in the film.

Parameter simultaneously started contract negotiations with Li Zhibai's side.

Lin Suyang had no relevant experience at all and had to come to ask Chen Ziyan for advice.

Lu Yan He had several phone calls with Zebby Doyle to discuss the filming ideas for *Buried*. Zebby Doyle actually wanted to create a long take that would run through the entire movie.

Lu Yan He was shocked.

A long take certainly has the effect of a long take, but in a story like *Buried*, doing a so-called long take is a bit unnecessary.

It was already a one-man movie in such a cramped space, and doing a long take—no matter how he thought about it, it felt ridiculous.

A long take is great for showing off technique, but the premise is that there is something to show off.

There is no movement in space, and no change in perspective between multiple actors. Playing with a long take in *Buried* is just a one-man show with a fixed camera position.

It might even be called a "pseudo-documentary."

And he didn't intend to make a cash-grab film like *The Blair Witch Project*.

Fortunately, Zebby Doyle was still someone who listened to advice.

More importantly, how this movie is filmed actually still depends on the director.

Now, for *Buried*, they haven't even found a director yet.

Read every single word without error!

Regarding this point, Lu Yan He didn't need to worry.

With a film company like Parameter that has an extremely rich pool of director talent, they would definitely find a suitable director candidate.

And another important part of the cooperation agreement is that the movie *Buried* reserved a 35% investment share for Lu Yan He and his film production company—this is a share that enjoys priority dividends.

From this point, one can see the importance of Darren Wilson, this Hollywood agent. In the negotiation of specific contract terms, he defended Lu Yan He's rights very fiercely and very clearly required that Parameter must obtain written consent from Lu Yan He's side when conducting any form of derivative development of the movie's copyright.

At the same time, any form of revenue obtained from *Buried* needs to be settled with Lu Yan He's side first, and so on.

Not only that, Darren Wilson also suggested that Lu Yan He's side sign a contract with a reliable accounting firm in Hollywood, and have them arrange for someone to enter the financial work of the *Buried* movie from the early stage on behalf of Lu Yan He, independently holding a set of "books that won't be hidden or fooled by Parameter" to understand the real production budget of the movie.

Otherwise, every film company has a bunch of accounting experts. When you are happily holding a check thinking you have earned a lot, you don't know at all that you could have earned more.

At this time, Lu Yan He could only cooperate with the most prestigious accounting firms because he didn't have any acquaintances and they were all strangers, so he could only choose those long-established companies first.

Chen Ziyan said, "At this time, you should use your connections from Zhenhua. So many of your seniors are working in the United States, especially in finance and law. There are so many people. With this connection to Zhenhua, isn't it much better than you looking for them directly?"

Lu Yan He immediately went to find his teacher at Zhenhua.

Several projects had achieved substantial progress, and for the media, this was of course an exclusive news story to fight for.

In the United States, *Variety* magazine has always been a leader in this regard.

They were the first to report the news about the movie *Buried*, including the news that it would be starred in by the popular Chinese star Li Zhibai. They also reported that this movie would be a thriller that also focuses on Asian identity.

This was the first release.

For Americans, this news didn't attract much attention, only because it was the first Hollywood movie Lu Yan He wrote as a screenwriter, which attracted some attention from the industry and film critics.

After all, Li Zhibai could be said to have no fame in the United States.

But after this news spread back to China, it caused a huge uproar.

Lu Yan He as screenwriter, Li Zhibai as lead actor—if this production company wasn't Parameter, wouldn't this be a purely Chinese film configuration?

Most importantly, this movie is led by Li Zhibai, not a supporting role, nor a co-starring role.

Even Lu Yan He hadn't starred in a movie in Hollywood.

Yet Li Zhibai had achieved this.

His fans started to hype this matter up immediately.

The hashtag #Li Zhibai Hollywood Movie First Lead Actor# was pushed to the trending list by his fans together.

Just when everyone was still discussing *Buried*, *Variety* reported another piece of news:

The science fiction movie *Source Code*, written by Lu Yan He, has reached a cooperation intention with director Rune Reese, who will direct and develop it. It is currently undergoing early development by Rune Reese's production company. It is worth noting that the project Rune Reese was originally promoting was *Doomsday*, whose future is uncertain due to Tom Felton's withdrawal.

The attention this news stirred up in Hollywood was much greater than *Buried*.

After all, everyone pays attention to Rune Reese's new project.

Within a short period of time, Lu Yan He was exposed for a second Hollywood project, which not only shocked the Chinese entertainment industry but also made Hollywood start to pay attention to these two projects and the screenwriter Lu Yan He.

"As a top actor, there is no doubt that Lu Yan He's identity as a top screenwriter has played a crucial role in opening up the overseas market for him."

While opinions were divided, film critic Guan Su Chen, who has been paying close attention to Lu Yan He, recorded a short video on his self-media channel to comment on this matter.

"I believe that whether it is *Buried* or *Source Code*, they must be the kind of scripts Lu Yan He is best at—low production cost, low development threshold. Otherwise, it would be impossible for Lu Yan He to go to Los Angeles and push two movies into the development stage so quickly."

"The achievements Lu Yan He has made as a screenwriter are actually no less than his achievements as an actor. If any actor wants to replicate his success and only replicates the part of him as an actor, I'm afraid they won't be able to replicate his success. It is foreseeable that if either *Buried* or *Source Code* succeeds, Lu Yan He will definitely become a hot new star in Hollywood—although after *The Mist*, he is already the hottest Asian male actor in Hollywood."

"I am very gratified that Lu Yan He can still maintain his ambition to conquer the world while keeping his work focus on Chinese film and television. He not only starred in the Malaysian director's movie *Tropical Rain*, the American horror movie *The Mist*, but also exerted his talent as a screenwriter to write two English scripts. He took Li Zhibai and another Chinese actress into Hollywood, not only for himself but also to create opportunities for talented Chinese people around him to be recognized by the world."

Guan Su Chen's commentary video attracted quite a lot of attention and discussion.

What surprised everyone the most was the part Guan Su Chen said afterwards.

"It is said that just in these recent days, Lu Yan He has also been very seriously involved in the preparation of the drama version of *Rouge*, bridging the gap and choosing a pair of actors for the drama version of *Rouge* that we didn't expect but are said to be very suitable. One of them is a complete newcomer who has never appeared in any film or television drama before, and the other is also an unexpected choice. A friend at Ice Field Video told me that if it weren't for Lu Yan He thinking they were suitable and making the final decision, this would definitely not be the lead cast that Ice Field Video would agree to."

"So, let us be happy that a film and television person like Lu Yan He has appeared. He is relying on his own strength, gathering the power of many people, improving our entire Chinese film and television environment, and taking our Chinese film and television to the world."

In Hollywood, Lu Yan He's two scripts have become the most inquired things recently.

In fact, Hollywood has never lacked scripts.

A large number of scripts circulate among everyone every day.

But rarely does a screenwriter have two scripts announced to be made into movies one after another, and they are cooperating with different film companies.

It is this speed of one after another, plus Lu Yan He's own fame, that makes these two scripts very much in the spotlight.

In such frequent reading, the two scripts *Buried* and *Source Code*, which are more creative than literary and character-driven, have allowed many film companies to see Lu Yan He's talent in writing commercial movie scripts.

Before that, Lu Yan He's screenwriting talent was mainly positioned by Hollywood in the drama series field.

Because among the works Lu Yan He has written in the past, the only ones that have had a major impact globally are *Friends* and *Squid Game*. Although the two movies *Rouge* and *Love Letter* both won awards at international film festivals, that was mainly concentrated in the film field and did not form a relatively widespread commercial effect familiar to ordinary audiences.

Green Valley didn't even expect that just after they had discussed the appearance of the *Godless* series with Lu Yan He, Lu Yan He had simultaneously reached cooperation on scripts with other film companies.

Schmidt Lawley even sent an email to Lu Yan He complaining that Lu Yan He didn't give them priority for the *Source Code* script.

Lu Yan He replied with an email: I wanted to cooperate with Rune on the *Source Code* script from the beginning. Although there is no *Source Code*, I have another script in my hand that you might be interested in.

Schmidt Lawley asked in surprise: What is it?

Lu Yan He then had Wan Qingqing send the paper version of the *Red Eye Flight* script to Schmidt Lawley's office.

In fact, there is a sentence in Guan Su Chen's evaluation of Lu Yan He that is very insightful.

Why is the success rate of Lu Yan He's scripts so high? And the development speed is so fast?

A very key reason is that the scripts Lu Yan He created have low filming difficulty and low production costs.

The scripts Lu Yan He has brought out at this stage are all scripts based on creativity and character performance, and do not need to put effort into special effects or big scenes.

*Buried* goes without saying. *Source Code*, a sci-fi theme movie that everyone thinks must be very expensive, is actually a "soft sci-fi," with the main scene being on a train. The only expensive big scene is actually the moment of the explosion.

However, although the explosion happened many times in the movie, in fact, it can be filmed from different angles, and multiple explosion shots can be completed with one filming.

And for *Red Eye Flight*, Lu Yan He directly cut out the content of the two people in the original work after getting off the plane and going home.

The part of this movie after getting off the plane didn't have high ratings either.

When Lu Yan He watched this movie himself, he felt that the part on the plane was enough.

If the confrontation between the heroine and the villainous male lead ended at the moment she stabbed the pen into his neck, the movie would actually be more crisp and neat.

And for the movie, it actually saved a filming fee.

Lu Yan He believes that no film company would refuse a script like *Red Eye Flight*.

Because it is obviously a story that will make money.

Sure enough, Schmidt Lawley soon expressed his willingness to buy the *Red Eye Flight* script and make it into a movie.

Lu Yan He replied that his production company wants to participate in the production of the movie, and he already has a candidate for the heroine of this movie. Originally, he was prepared for his own production company to film this movie.

At this time, Jiang Yuqian was in the United States, in New York, having just met a producer.

Jiang Yuqian was not very satisfied with the result of the meeting.

Although the other party was polite on the surface, in fact, Jiang Yuqian could feel the "contempt" in the other party's attitude.

Especially, for a movie with an investment of more than 20 million US dollars, they were only willing to pay her a salary of 100,000 US dollars.

It was so low that Jiang Yuqian felt she was being insulted.

Therefore, after coming out, Jiang Yuqian found a coffee shop, went in, sat down, and slowly calmed her mood by drinking coffee.

After a while, her agent He Heng finished the call, came over, and sat down opposite her.

"A salary of 100,000 US dollars is really insulting. If it's this figure, I won't act," Jiang Yuqian said. "I am not an unknown person. This is obviously bullying us Asian actors."

He Heng sighed and said, "They are too arrogant. They know that many Asian actors are willing to act in a Hollywood movie at a low price to open up their fame."

"That's not me. I don't need it," Jiang Yuqian said angrily. "Rather than this, I would rather not act."

"This is a rare movie with a female lead that we have come into contact with," He Heng said. "Before, in Hollywood, we had never received a movie with a female lead."

He Heng felt that at least by doing this, they could open up the situation.

Having acted as a female lead and not having acted as a female lead are completely two different concepts.

"No," Jiang Yuqian shook her head. "If I hadn't acted in *Squid Game*, I could accept a low salary because I really have no one in Hollywood who knows me, and it's normal that I can't get a high salary. But now if I accept such a salary, it makes us Asian actors look too cheap."

He Heng didn't expect Jiang Yuqian to be so persistent about the salary.

To tell the truth, Jiang Yuqian doesn't need to rely on salary to make money at all now.

As long as she takes this movie, even if she doesn't receive a penny of salary, the female lead of a Hollywood movie is enough to make her have several endorsements and increase her endorsement fees in the future.

However, on the other hand, He Heng actually supports Jiang Yuqian's decision. (End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 666 =====